VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The City of Virginia Beach was offering a program to prevent evictions for low-and moderate-income renters in Virginia Beach experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19.

According to a release by the city, the Virginia Beach Eviction Prevention Assistance program will provide eligible households with short-term assistance towards rental arrears since April 1, 2020 and one month’s rent. Assistance is provided one time, and payments are made directly to the landlord or property manager.

On May 4 the city said due to the large volume of pre-applications received, Virginia Beach Housing & Neighborhood Preservation is suspending the pre-application process for the Eviction Prevention Assistance program effective noon on Tuesday, May 5.

Case workers will continue to review and process pre-applications submitted before the cut-off deadline. Applicants will be contacted by phone for further screening.

An announcement will be made if, and when, the pre-application process is reopened, the city said.

A portion of CARES Act funds the city received will be used in this program for rent assistance to prevent evictions.

In order to be eligible for assistance, a household's total gross annual income cannot exceed 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), adjusted for family size, as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), at the time of application.

From April 29 through May 5, priority will be given to households who have a gross annual income of 0-50 percent AMI, the city said.

Applicants must have a lease agreement in their name, and applicants who do not have a legitimate lease agreement in their name will not be approved for assistance. In addition, assistance is provided to a household. Multiple individuals within a household cannot be assisted.

The applicant’s inability to pay their rent must be due to the impact of COVID-19 that resulted in loss of job or significant reduction in work hours, or unemployment that occurred after March 1, 2020.

The rental property must be located in Virginia Beach and be the applicant’s primary residence.

The applicant must have applied for, or be in the process of, applying for unemployment benefits, and must be able to provide supporting documentation, the city said. The applicant must also be able to meet basic needs once assistance is provided, such as food and utility costs.